


Khannie Metalheswaran

by RaineLionheart



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Aggression, Bonding over music, F/M, Garnet Is Vague, Growing Up, Heavy Metal Music, Metal Saved My Life, Pearl Knows About Heavy Metal, connverse - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22397890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaineLionheart/pseuds/RaineLionheart
Summary: Connie has started listening to heavy metal, which worries Steven. But she's more than willing to tell him why, and maybe see if she can convert him as well.Or: my love letter to heavy metal through the prism of Steven Universe.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Comments: 13
Kudos: 37





	Khannie Metalheswaran

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hadithi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadithi/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Connie's Little Universe](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20522012) by [Hadithi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadithi/pseuds/Hadithi). 



> This was inspired by [Hadithi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadithi/pseuds/Hadithi) and [this oneshot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20522012/chapters/52320667).
> 
> Metal Is Forever \m/

Connie was tense as Steven looked through her music player app. It was a new development in her life, something that she hadn't even shared with Steven because… well, he was Steven.

He didn’t like aggression. 

Well, it turned out that Connie did. And her new taste in music reflected that.

"Sepultura? Arch Enemy? Strapping Young Lad? I've never heard of these bands."

Connie could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. She tried to appear casual, but she knew Steven wasn't having it.

His eyes widened and he said, "Well, I know who  _ Slayer _ are."

"Were…" Connie muttered.

"This is really angry music Connie," Steven said quietly. 

She kept his gaze, trying not to feel guilty. Why should she feel guilty for this?

"I know that Steven. There's nothing wrong with aggressive music."

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" He rushed to assure her. "My dad likes some of this stuff. It's just…" He trailed off.

"What, Steven?" She pressed. She was getting irritated. She felt like he was judging her.

"It just doesn't seem like you. You're not a very aggressive person."

_ The poor boy. He doesn't get it. _ She sighed and took his hands in hers.

"Steven, things change. I'm nineteen now. I'm not a teenager anymore." She smiled sadly. "And this is the sort of music I'm interested in right now."

Steven looked ready to argue, but closed his mouth, pausing to think. "Okay. Can you try to explain it to me? Because this is a very big change!" He chuckled, but it was clear that he felt unsure. 

Connie nodded and sat for a moment, thinking about how best to sum up her thoughts.

"Do you remember a few years ago when you would unconsciously turn Pink?"

Steven remembered. It pained him to remember. "Yeah. I- yeah."

"And why were you turning Pink?" She pressed.

"Because I was bottling up all my negative feelings and not expressing them," he sheepishly recalled.

"Look," she said hastily, "I'm not saying that I've been going through the same thing. But recently, these feelings have become…" she thought for a moment, "persistent. They've been louder, more pervasive. And I don't like bottling things up."

Seeing the apprehension on Steven's face drove home the fact that he really did feel uncomfortable with aggression. She smiled and took his hand.

"Here. Let me show you." She took her phone back and scrolled through the menu before finding something.

“Now pretend you've just had a really bad day."

Frenetic drumming, faster than he had heard before, nearly bowled him over. He watched in awe as Connie began to relentlessly nod her head in time to the beat, quickly and with much force.

_ How is she doing that?!  _ he wondered to himself.  _ How is her head not flying off? _

Suddenly, with a rising growl, the vocals kicked in, shrill and raw and  _ angry _ . And Connie was screaming along.

_ Wake up screaming on the wrong side of the head _

_ Dreaming of demons who'd be better off - better off DEAD! _

_ Now I know I'm accountable for the things I've said before _

_ But I just can't shut up, shut up, shut up-- _

" _ Getoutgetoutgetout get out the door! _ "

Connie was thrashing around, eyes burning and chest heaving with exertion. She whirled around to glare at Steven.

He just stared.

She smirked and yelled along to the rest of the song.

She finished laying on her back, the last shrieking lyrics fading as she gasped for breath.

Steven just stared.

She rolled her head to beam at him. "That… is why… I love... heavy… metal!"

He reached out and pulled her to him, and she giggled when he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Oh thanks Steven, my neck was starting to get sore."

He couldn't contain his mirth and giggled.

"That looked like it could be cathartic."

"It  _ is _ ." She lay back against his chest and took one of his hands in hers. "There are times when I get so frustrated that not even my training can help me deal with it in a safe manner. Sometimes I just want to take my sword and hack away at something just to destroy it. But I can't do that. It's much too dangerous. 

"So instead, I listen to angry people who make angry music for other angry people, and I get to work through those feelings that way."

"It still doesn't seem like you," Steven answered.

Connie sighed. "That's just it Steven. I  _ am  _ aggressive sometimes. I know that I never really showed it in the past, but that's because I've changed. I have other things to make me angry, in ways I never thought I'd be capable."

"But like what?" Steven pleaded.

Connie frowned. "Steven, there's a lot about this planet, about us humans, that you don't seem to be aware of." She held up her hand and counted on her fingers. "Genocide, slavery, domestic violence, racism, sexism, homophobia, child abuse… All things that human beings are guilty of. Things that I feel like I can't do anything about. And when those things get to be too much, it helps to hear somebody else who feels the same way saying the things I want to but can't.

"And sometimes it isn't even that I feel angry. Sometimes I just need to feel  _ strong _ . Arch Enemy for example. Their music makes me feel strong. Powerful. Independent. And when I’ve had a rough day at Uni, or need a good work-out playlist, or just feel angry, I can put on a song by them, and let all that aggression  _ out _ . It doesn’t make me angry. It lets me feel the anger that's already there and it won’t judge me for it. And then it helps me channel those feelings.” She smiled brightly. “It’s really cathartic!”

Steven nodded. Her earnest face, excited and energized, was shiny with perspiration. He eyes were still wild.

He realized just how…  _ hot _ she was like that.

He hoped he wasn’t blushing.

With a smile, he said, “The music itself was interesting. Challenging.”

Connie nodded. “Some heavy metal is complex and layered. Some is a little more basic, but just as good.” She picked up her phone and using her internet browser, called up a fairly detailed looking chart. “There are so many different genres of heavy metal, I’m positive that there’s at least one band out there that you’d like.”

“Really?” he asked, skeptical.

Connie slowly turned her head to face him. She was grinning wickedly.

“I’m gonna try you on Nightwish. How does a twenty-four minute epic about Earth and the human race sound?”

* * *

**A Month Later**

“Have you seen Steven and Connie around?” Pearl asked Garnet as she strode past with a basketful of laundry. “We are supposed to have a training session at three and I haven’t seen them all morning.”

Seated on the couch, Garnet adjusted her visor and smirked. “Don’t worry. You’ll find them soon enough.” And she offered no more.

Pearl frowned. She hated when Garnet was vague. With a scoff, she marched onto the warp pad and beamed away.

The moment the beam faded, Pearl dropped the laundry basket to shield her ears from the caterwaul that tore the air.

“WHAT IN THE STARS?!”

It was coming from Steven’s greenhouse. Pearl’s gem lit up, and she grabbed at the handle of her spear. She gracefully leapt from the stone hand of the Temple statue down to the dome, landing without a sound. Looking inside, she saw… Steven and Connie lounging on pillows, reading comics.

Now Pearl was  _ really _ confused.

She dissipated her spear then carefully, she slid down the dome to the doorway inside.

The awful noise was almost enough to poof her. Plugging her ears, she stepped inside and screamed, “STEEEEEEVEEEEEEEN!”

The two young adults looked up and burst out laughing. Steven managed to grab his phone and pause the… whatever it was.

“Sorry Pearl! Is the music too loud?”

Her hands dropped to her side.  _ Music _ ?  _ That was supposed to be  _ music?!

“What on Earth was  _ that _ ?” she half-shouted, before realizing her volume. “Sorry. Steven, what was that you were listening to?”

“It’s heavy metal Pearl,” Connie replied. She seemed anxious just then; having her mentor catching them listening to such a crazy song… oh, what if Pearl was upset that Connie had dragged Steven into her new passion?

Pearl’s expression shifted from wide-eyed alarm to sudden understanding. “Ooooh! Heavy metal!” She laughed gaily for a moment. “Yes, you father was a fan of some of that… er… music, wasn’t he?” She frowned. “And he managed to get your mother listening to it as well.”

“Mom liked heavy metal music?” Steven’s eyes were starry, and his smile was enormous.

“Some,” Pearl clarified. “She loved energetic and upbeat songs. Less aggressive than  _ that _ .” She gestured to Steven’s phone.

“Oh, yeah, I guess she wouldn’t.” Steven shrugged.

Connie nudged him in the ribs. “Total power metal fan I bet. You come by it honestly.”

Pearl observed them with fascination. Admittedly, the only reason Pearl knew  _ anything _ about heavy metal music was because of Rose and Greg. But to her credit, she herself enjoyed a little bit of the heavy sound herself.

She would never admit it to anyone, but hidden in her room was a human compact disc - an album called Nordlys by a band called Midnattsol. Pearl was captivated by it, but felt it was incredibly personal, and never spoke of it.

Occasionally, she and Greg would talk about heavy metal. When he had begun to teach her how to play the bass guitar, Greg had given Pearl a very informative lecture on the history of both the guitar and the bass, which covered the progression from blues to early rock ‘n’ roll, Motown, funk, punk and, of course, heavy metal. Greg himself was a casual listener; his own brand of space rock was inspired by heavy metal.

Pearl supposed that it was only natural for Steven to be attracted to the genre as well. He was an incredibly passionate person which a true gift that had been nurtured his entire life.

_ Oh my, _ she thought to herself.  _ If he joins a heavy metal band, he is NOT holding practice sessions here! _

But she was getting ahead of herself. Her focus returned to Steven and Connie, who were discussing what sort of metal his mother would probably have liked.

“Definitely Nightwish,” Steven said. “And probably Blind Guardian.”

“Dio,” Connie said firmly. “Doro.”

“Skyclad!”

“Elvenking!”

“Freedom Call!”

Pearl chuckled. “I suppose it isn’t too surprising, is it?”

Steven shrugged. “I was apprehensive at first, but Connie’s gotten me into some of it.”

She blushed but nodded. “I know that it’s loud and angry, but for me - for us, it serves a purpose.”

They told Pearl about their conversation the previous month, and how Connie felt that Steven could use the music as an outlet.

“And it’s helped already,” he said. “I haven’t been having any stress dreams lately.”

With a chuckle, Pearl held her hands up. “Steven, Connie, it’s fine. Just please, try not to play it that loud again.”

Steven beamed. “Okay Pearl!”

She ruffled the young man’s hair, then pulled the two of them into a hug.

“Don’t forget our training this afternoon!” she reminded them over her shoulder as she left.

She leapt back up to Obsidian’s hand and got on with the laundry.

A minute later, the music started up again, albeit at a much lower volume.

Pearl smiled. She was always glad when Connie introduced him to some new facet of humanity that she and the other Gems would never think to. She just wished that it could be a little less… screamy.

* * *

Meanwhile, Connie turned back to Steven and said, “Still not selling you on the harsh vocals and blast-beats huh?”

He shook his head. “No, not really. I was more curious because of the title.”

Connie burst out laughing. “I’m convinced there’s no better song title than Pandemonic Hyperblast!”

**Author's Note:**

> [LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT NOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJb3xwtpmmc) if you have 24 minutes to spare. It is well worth your time.  
> I figure that as an anthem for planet Earth and the human race, Steven would love it.  
> I may add to this in the future, but don’t hold your breath.


End file.
